New York Knicks

Every owner since the start

1. 2020-present
   Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., renamed MSG Knickerbockers Corp. in October 2026 (Dolan family; James Dolan)

   Spin-off, not a sale: in April 2020 the venues left and the teams company was renamed; the Rangers left in October 2026

2. 2015-2020
   A second Madison Square Garden Company (Dolan family)

   Spin-off, not a sale: in September 2015 the teams and venues moved to a new listed company

3. 2010-2015
   The Madison Square Garden Company (Dolan family)

   Spun out of Cablevision to its shareholders in February 2010; not a sale

4. 1997-2010
   Cablevision Systems (Dolan family)

   Agreed in March 1997 to buy ITT's half for $650M, valuing the Garden businesses at $1.53B

5. 1994/95-1997
   ITT Corporation and Cablevision, 50/50

   Bought the Garden, Knicks, Rangers and MSG cable network from Viacom for about $1.075B in cash

6. 1994
   Viacom

   Got the Garden by buying Paramount Communications; agreed in August 1994 to sell it

7. 1977-1994
   Gulf+Western, renamed Paramount Communications in 1989

   Bought Garden stock from 1969 and took full control in August 1977; price not found

8. 1959-1977
   Graham-Paige, renamed Madison Square Garden Corporation in 1962

   Paid $4M for a 40% controlling block from James Norris and Arthur Wirtz

9. 1946-1959
   Madison Square Garden Corporation

   Founded the team at the urging of Ned Irish, then the Garden's president

Value over time

Forbes valued the Knicks at $296M in 1998 and $12.6B in 2026, about 43 times as much. The biggest one-year jump was $2.85B in 2026, from $9.75B to $12.6B; by percentage it was 2015, up 79%.

How the current owner bought it

• It was a company purchase. In 1994 Cablevision and ITT bought the whole Garden group from Viacom.
• In March 1997 ITT agreed to sell its half for $650M. Cablevision paid $500M in cash for 38.5% at once.
• Three spin-offs followed, in 2010, 2015 and 2020. Each gave shares to existing holders, so Dolan family control carried over.
• A fourth spin-off was completed on 26 October 2026. The Rangers moved to MSG Rangers Corp. (NYSE: MSGR); holders got one share for every two held.
• MSG Sports became MSG Knickerbockers Corp., holding the Knicks and the Westchester Knicks. Both stocks began trading on 27 October; Dolan is executive chairman and CEO of both.

Partners in the team

The Knicks have no team-level partners, because no stake in the team has ever been sold. Public shareholders own nearly all the Class A stock, about 79% of the equity; the family's Class B shares carry most of the votes.

How the team is run

• Dolan sets the spending ceiling. Leon Rose, team president since 2020, makes the basketball decisions.
• The Knicks pay arena fees to MSG Entertainment, the sister company that owns the Garden.
• The split followed pressure from investor Boyar Value Group. Dolan has said he does not intend to sell either team.
• Parent MSG Sports, with both teams, had revenue of $1.15B and operating profit of $28.9M in the year to June 2026.
• It had $258.5M of debt at 30 June 2026; $242M of it was drawn on the Knicks credit line.